my slashes

I don’t recall exactly where (a book? a podcast?), but recently I was introduced to the concept of slashes — which is to say we are not just “one thing” but a combination of many. For example, when meeting someone new, often one of the first questions that pop into the conversation is “what do you do?” typically followed by a description of how you earn your living.

Slashes, however, introduce the idea that the thing we do is not who we are. Instead, we are many things — our slashes. These words (nouns) help us identify ourselves, whether that be our past or present selves (and even our future selves). Who are we beyond a one- or two-word title?

When I sat down to think about who I am, I identified the following slashes as a starting point:

writer/leader/wife/friend/dog mommy/aunt/daughter/sister/niece/cousin/friend/ex/daughter-in-law/sister-in-law/oldest child/home owner/college graduate/learner/reader/explorer/traveler/professional/creator/woman/minimalist/zerowaster/director/communications expert/runner (although not so much as of lately)/mentor/mentee/work in progress/planner/achiever/Denverite/Coloradoan/South-Dakota native/book-club member/writing-group founder/blogger/creative/neat freak/American/grammar nerd